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WMU lauded again with Washington Monthly top-100 ranking

contact: Cheryl RolandAugust 29, 2017 | WMU News

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—In its 13th annual college rankings, government and policy magazine Washington Monthly has once again ranked Western Michigan University as one of the nation's top-100 universities for producing graduates and research destined to make a difference for the nation.

In its assessment of nearly 750 of the nation's colleges and universities, the magazine ranked WMU at No. 97 among national universities. Published annually since 2005, the Washington Monthly college rankings provide a contrast to those published by such publications as U.S. News & World Report and Forbes. The Washington Monthly methodology is designed to rate college and universities for the good they are doing for the country.

About the ranking

Rather than ranking institutions on such input measures as wealth, fame and exclusivity, schools are rated based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories:

Social mobility, which includes recruiting and graduating low-income students.

Research, which is measured by the production of cutting-edge scholarship and preparing the next generation of scientists and Ph.D.s.

Service, which is measured by the way students are encouraged to give something back to their country.

In addition to the three broad measurement categories Washington Monthly has been using since the start of its ranking initiative, additional measurements that have only recently become available are now part of the mix. They include detail on student earnings 10 years after enrolling, how likely it is that students are able to pay down school loans and the percentage of first-generation students at each college.

WMU is one of four Michigan universities to make the top-100 list of national universities. The University of Michigan and Michigan State University came in at Nos. 37 and 38, respectively. And Michigan Tech came in at No. 40. In a separate value ranking of Midwest schools, called Best Bang for the Buck, WMU came in at No. 57.

Washington Monthly is a bimonthly nonprofit magazine that focuses on U.S. politics and government and is based in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1969. The magazine's complete 2016 college rankings can be found at washingtonmonthly.com/2017college-guide.